Folding sofa

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a folding sofa, comprising a sofa body and support legs on both sides; the support leg is composed of movably, cross hinged front support rods and rear support rods, the front support rod is higher than the rear support rod, and the higher part forms a backrest section. The sofa body is made from a soft fabric through processing and forming, comprises an integrated seat cushion, armrest and backrest; where, the outer side of the backrest and armrest are respectively provided with a backrest cover and an armrest cover. The front and rear support rods directly support the sofa body, the seat cushion is lifted by the backrest and armrest for forming, is comfortable to sit, and forms the wide volume peculiar to sofa with the aid of the backrest cover and armrest cover.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the field of daily necessities, especiallyrelates to a folding sofa, and more specifically, a folding sofa thatcan be folded to a flat structure.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are a variety of folding chairs. The folded chair is compact, iseasy to collect and is portable. Therefore, folding chairs arefrequently used at home and in offices. Common folding chair structurecomprises support legs symmetrical on both sides, a seat cushion and aback cushion. Where, the support leg is composed of two hinged frontsupport rods and rear support rods. The seat cushion is installed on thefront and rear support rods, forming a stable triangular supportstructure. The front support rods extend above the seat cushion to formtwo backrest sections, on which back cushions are installed. In order tosatisfy the folding function, the front and rear support rods aremovably hinged, and form a triangle with the seat cushion, so there mustbe a movable point. Therefore, if the hinge point between the frontsupport rods and rear support rods is in a different position from amovable point, a series of diverse folding chair products will beobtained to meet different needs.

For example, CN201718818U discloses a folding chair. The upper end ofits rear support rods is hinged on the middle-upper part of its frontsupport rods. The hard seat is pivoted near the middle part of the frontsupport rods. A rear part of the seat is arranged on the rear supportrods through a movable cover of a sleeve seat. A limit point is fixed onthe rear support rods, and the sleeve seat forms a movable point forfolding. A defect of the structure is that the seat is not stable,especially when the buttock gravity moves backward, the seat will tiltbackward. Besides, folded front and rear support rods are side by sidein front and rear, and occupy the space of thickness of two rods.

For example, CN101396209B discloses a folding chair, the front and rearchair legs of which form an X-type cross. The front part of the chairplate is articulated with the upper end part of the rear chair legs,both side edges are provided with symmetrical is sliding ways, and asupport rod is fixed between the front chair legs on both sides. Thesupport rod runs through the sliding way, and plays a role in supportingthe rear side of the chair plate and folding with the help of the two.The folding chair in this scheme has a complex structure, and the foldedchair still occupies the space of thickness of 2-3 rods.

In the prior art, the seat cushion of the folding chair is made fromhard materials or needs reliable support, so that its structure iscomplex. If the support structure of the existing folding chair isimproved, it will become the research object in the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims in at least one embodiment to provide afolding sofa with the front support rods and rear support rods movablycross hinged on both sides, and with the upper end part of the frontsupport rods and upper end part of the rear support rods directlysupporting the sofa body.

A technical scheme in this invention is realized as follows: a foldingsofa comprises support legs equivalent or symmetrical on both sides, andalso comprises a sofa body. The support leg comprises movably crosshinged front and rear support rods. The front support rods are higherthan the rear support rods, and the higher part forms the backrestsection. The front support rods on both sides are fixed by a front crossrod to become one (i.e., a “single unit”), and the rear support rods arefixed by a rear cross rod to become one. The sofa body is made from asoft fabric through processing and forming. It comprises an integratedseat cushion, armrest and backrest. Its characteristics may be is thatthe outer side of the backrest and armrest are respectively providedwith a backrest cover and an armrest cover, and the backrest covers onthe backrest section with the aid of the backrest cover. The armrestcovers on the upper end of the rear support rods with the aid of thearmrest cover, a horizontal reinforcing rib belt is arranged between theupper end of the rear support rods and front support rods, and thereinforcing rib belt is wrapped in the armrest cover. When the foldingsofa is unfolded in place, the reinforcing rib belt is tightened andplays a role in supporting the armrest.

The reinforcing rib belt is directly sewn on the inner side of thearmrest.

One end of the reinforcing rib belt is fixed on the upper end of thesupport rod, and the other end of it is fixed on the front support.

The lower edge of the armrest cover is preferably not higher than thatof the seat cushion. The lower edge of the backrest cover is providedwith a vertical skirt sweep, the lower edge of which is flushed with thelower edge of the armrest cover, and both sides of which arerespectively sewn with the armrest cover.

The armrest cover is sewn with a shielding cloth along the front edge ofthe rear support rod, and when the folding sofa is unfolded in place,the shielding cloth can be used to drive the seat cushion to unfold.

The front support rod on both sides and the front cross rod are bentinto a U-shaped frame by a rod, the front cross rod is arranged at oneend of the backrest section to support the backrest cover; the two rearsupport rods and rear cross rod are bent into a U-shaped frame by a rod,and the rear cross rod touches the ground.

A link rod is also hinged between the hinge points of the front supportrods on both is sides and the rear support rods.

The link rod is provided with a bending part on either end. Both bendingparts are respectively clinging to the front support rods on both sides,and are fixed together through riveting or welding.

A belt is arranged on the outer side of the backrest cover. Both ends ofthe belt are respectively sewn on the backrest cover in the backrestsections on both sides. After the folding sofa is unfolded in place, thebelt may be turned frontward to buckle the front end of the armrest andthe upper end of the rear support rods.

The belt is an elastic tape, or a fabric tape with a buckle at the end.

The present invention is characterized by unique conception, lightstructure, smooth folding and unfolding operation, and small spaceoccupation. The sofa body is directly supported by movably cross hingedfront and rear support rods, and is made from a soft fabric throughprocessing and forming. The seat cushion is lifted by the backrest andarmrest for forming, is soft and comfortable to sit, forms the widevolume peculiar to sofa with the help of the backrest cover and armrestcover, and does not occupy collection space. Folded front and rearsupport rods can be mutually nested with the thickness equivalent to thecaliber of front support rods, and presents a flat structure. Aplurality of folding sofa can be conveniently superposed for collection,thereby occupying less space.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements andarrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which isinexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing itsintended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will be readilyapparent upon review of the following detailed description of theinvention and the accompanying drawings. These objects of the presentinvention are not exhaustive and are not to be construed as limiting thescope of the claimed invention. Further, it must be understood that noone embodiment of the present invention need include all of theaforementioned objects of the present invention. Rather, a givenembodiment may include one or none of the aforementioned objects.Accordingly, these objects are not to be used to limit the scope of theclaims of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention is further illustrated in the light of specific figuresas follows:

FIG. 1 is a 3D diagram of the folding sofa.

FIG. 2 is a Bottom view of the folding sofa.

FIG. 3 is a Side view of the folding sofa.

FIG. 4 is an Exploded view of the folding sofa.

FIG. 5 is a Bottom view of the sofa body.

FIG. 6 is a Schematic diagram of folded support legs.

Where the following reference numerals are associate with the followingrespective elements:

-   1—Sofa body-   11—Seat cushion-   12—Armrest-   120—Armrest cover-   121—Shielding cloth-   13—Backrest-   130—backrest cover-   131—Skirt sweep-   2—Front support rod-   21—Front cross rod-   22—Backrest section-   3—Rear support rod-   31—Rear cross rod-   4—Link rod-   41—bending part-   5—Reinforcing rib belt-   6—Belt

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

According to FIGS. 1-4, a folding sofa, comprising a sofa body 1 andsupport legs equivalent or symmetrical on both sides is shown. Thesupport leg is composed of movably cross hinged front support rods 2 andrear support rods 3. The front support rod 2 is higher than the rearsupport rod 3, and the higher part forms a backrest section 22. Thefront support rods 2 on both sides are fixed with a front cross rod tobecome one, and the rear support rods 3 are fixed with a rear cross rod31 to become one. More specifically, the front support rods 2 on bothsides and the front cross rod 21 are bent into iii a U-shaped frame witha rod, the front cross rod 21 is arranged at one end of the backrest 22to support the backrest cover. Both rear support rods 3 and the crossrod 31 are bent into a U-shaped frame with a rod, and the rear cross rod31 touches the ground.

In order to strengthen the rigidity of the front support rods 2 and rearsupport rods 3 at the hinge points and avoid the support legs on bothsides from folding inward after is being subjected to a force. A linkrod 4 is also hinged between the hinge points of the front support rods2 on both sides and the rear support rods 3. The link rod is providedwith a bending part 41 at both ends. Both bending parts 41 arerespectively clinging to the front support rods 2 on both sides, and arefixed together through riveting or welding.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the sofa body 1 is made from a softfabric through processing and forming, and has an integrated seatcushion 11, armrest 12 and backrest 13. The backrest 13 and armrest 12are respectively provided with a backrest cover 130 and an armrest cover120 on the outer side. The backrest 13 covers on the backrest section 22with the aid of the backrest cover 130, and distributes the stress tothe front cross rod 21. The armrest 12 covers on the upper end of therear support rod 3 with the aid of the armrest cover 120. A horizontalreinforcing rib belt 5 is arranged between the upper end of the rearsupport rod 3 and the front support rod 2. The reinforcing rib belt 5 iswrapped in the armrest cover 120. When the folding sofa is unfolded inplace, the reinforcing rib belt 5 is tightened up, and plays a role insupporting the armrest 12. More specifically, the reinforcing rib belt 5includes two structures as follows:

One is that the reinforcing rib belt 5 is sewn directly on the innerside of the armrest 12 to increase the strength of the armrest 12, asshown in FIG. 3. The other is that one end of the reinforcing rib belt 5is fixed on the upper end of the rear support rod 3, and the other endof it is fixed on the front support 2, as shown in FIG. 4. Thereinforcing rib belt 5 plays a role in not only supporting the armrest12, but also restricting the unfolding limit(s) of the folding sofa. Theseat cushion 11 of the sofa body 1 is lifted relying on the is armrest12 and backrest 13, so the force is mainly borne by the armrest cover120 and backrest cover 130.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the lifted seat cushion 11 isvery soft and comfortable. Considering that when the folding sofa isunfolded, the seat cushion 11 can follow to stretch forward for forming,it is necessary to provide a shielding cloth 121 that can be driven bythe rear support rod 3 in the armrest cover 120, and its structure isthat the armrest cover 120 is sewn with a shielding cloth 121 along thefront edge of the rear support rod 3, and when the folding sofa isunfolded in place, the shielding cloth 121 can be used to drive the seatcushion 11 to unfold.

As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, lower edge of the armrest cover120 is not higher than that of the seat cushion 11. Lower edge of thebackrest cover 130 is provided with a vertical skirt sweep 131, thelower edge of which is flushed with the lower edge of the armrest cover120, and both sides of which are respectively sewn with the armrestcover 120. The armrest cover 120 and skirt sweep 131 around the outerside of the seat cushion 11 can not only increase the shape of the sofabody 1, but also improve the wide volume of the sofa body 1.

According to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the sofa body 1 only covers onthe support legs, thereby facilitating removing the sofa body 1 forcollection or cleaning, as shown in FIG. 4. The sofa body 1 is made froma soft fabric, such as Oxford cloth. The Oxford cloth may be treatedthrough surface flocking etc. to increase the features and comfort levelof the sofa. The support leg is composed of hinged front support rod 2,rear support rod 3, and link rod 4. The front support rod 2 and rearsupport rod 3 can be folded along the hinge point. The three may benested, and will be folded into a planar shape, as shown in FIG. 6. Itis compact and is easy to collect. During assembly, the front supportrod 2 and rear support rod 3 of the support leg are unfolded to a smallangle, the backrest cover 130 covers on the backrest section 21, theupper end of the rear support rod 3 of the armrest cover 120 is adjustedin place, and then they are unfolded. Under the circumstance, thebiggest unfolding angle of the front support rod 2 and rear support rod3 is restricted to the reinforcing rib belt 5. With the human bodygravity, the front support rod 2 and rear support rod 3 tend to unfoldto a bigger angle, reacts on the reinforcing rib belt 5, so that it istightened up to provide more solid support for the armrest 12.

According to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, a belt 6 is arranged on the outer sideof the backrest cover 130. Both ends of the belt 6 are respectively sewnon the backrest cover 130 in the backrest section 22 on both sides.After the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the belt 6 may be turnedfrontward to buckle the front end of the armrest section 12 and theupper end of the rear support rod 3. The belt 6 may be an elastic tapewith certain deformation, and can be easily turned over to buckle thearmrest 12 and upper end of the rear support rod 3. The belt 6 may alsobe a fabric tape with a buckle at the end. After turning frontward, thebelt binds the armrest 12 and upper end of the rear support rod 3through buckling. With the design of the belt 6, the folded sofa willnot automatically unfold, so as to facilitate collection/storage ortransportation.

One biggest difference between the present invention and existingfolding chairs is no support of the seat cushion is required, which notonly simplifies the design of the is support leg, but also reducesweight. For the sofa body made from a soft fabric through processing andforming, its seat cushion is a lifting type structure, and is not onlysofter and more comfortable to sit, but also convenient for collection.

While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, itis understood that it is capable of further modifications, uses and/oradaptations of the invention following in general the principle of theinvention and including such departures from the present disclosure ascome within the known or customary practice in the art to which theinvention pertains and as maybe applied to the central featureshereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention andthe limits of the appended claims. It is therefore to be understood thatthe present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment describedabove, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of thefollowing claims.

We claim:
 1. A folding sofa, comprising a sofa body and support legsequivalent or symmetrical on both sides; the support leg is composed ofmovably cross hinged front support rods and rear support rods, the frontsupport rod is higher than the rear support rod, and the higher partforms a backrest section; the front support rods on both sides are fixedwith a front cross rod to become one, and the rear support rods arefixed with a rear cross rod to become one. The sofa body is made from asoft fabric through processing and forming, and comprises an integratedseat cushion, armrest and backrest. Its characteristics are that theouter side of the backrest and armrest are respectively provided with abackrest cover and an armrest cover, and the backrest covers on thebackrest section with the aid of the backrest cover; the armrest coverson the upper end of the rear support rods with the aid the armrestcover, a horizontal reinforcing rib belt is arranged between the upperend of the rear support rods and front support rods, and the reinforcingrib belt is wrapped in the armrest cover. When the folding sofa isunfolded in place, the reinforcing rib belt is tightened up, and plays arole in supporting the armrest.
 2. A folding sofa defined in claim 1,wherein, the reinforcing rib belt is sewn directly on the inner side ofthe armrest.
 3. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, one end ofthe reinforcing rib belt is fixed on the upper end of the rear supportrod, and the other end of it is fixed on the front support.
 4. A foldingsofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the lower edge of the armrest cover isnot higher than that of the seat cushion; lower edge of the backrestcover is provided with a vertical skirt sweep, the lower edge of whichis flushed with the lower edge of the armrest cover, and both sides ofwhich are respectively sewn with the armrest cover.
 5. A folding sofadefined in claim 4, wherein, the armrest cover is sewn with a shieldingcloth along the front edge of the rear support rod, and when the foldingsofa is unfolded in place, the shielding cloth can be used to drive theseat cushion to unfold.
 6. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein,the armrest cover is sewn with a shielding cloth along the front edge ofthe rear support rod, and when the folding sofa is unfolded in place,the shielding cloth can be used to drive the seat cushion to unfold. 7.A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, the front support rod onboth sides and the front cross rod are bent into a U-shaped frame by arod, the front cross rod is arranged at one end of the backrest sectionto support the backrest cover; the two rear support rods and rear crossrod are bent into a U-shaped frame by a rod, and the rear cross rodtouches the ground.
 8. A folding sofa defined in claim 7, wherein, alink rod is also hinged between the hinge points of the front supportrods on both sides and the rear support rods.
 9. A folding sofa definedin claim 8, wherein, the link rod is provided with a bending part oneither end. Both bending parts are respectively clinging to the frontsupport rods on both sides, and are fixed together through riveting orwelding.
 10. A folding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, a link rod isalso hinged between the hinge points of the front support rods on bothsides and the rear support rods.
 11. A folding sofa defined in claim 10,wherein, the link rod is provided with a bending part on either end.Both bending parts are respectively clinging to the front support rodson both sides, and are fixed together through riveting or welding.
 12. Afolding sofa defined in claim 1, wherein, a belt is arranged on theouter side of the backrest cover. Both ends of the belt are respectivelysewn on the backrest cover in the backrest section on both sides. Afterthe folding sofa is unfolded in place, the belt may be turned frontwardto buckle the front end of the armrest and the upper end of the rearsupport rod.
 13. A folding sofa defined in claim 4, wherein, a belt isarranged on the outer side of the backrest cover. Both ends of the beltare respectively sewn on the backrest cover in the backrest section onboth sides. After the folding sofa is unfolded in place, the belt may beturned frontward to buckle the front end of the armrest and the upperend of the rear support rod.
 14. A folding sofa defined in claim 1,wherein, the belt is an elastic tape, or a fabric tape with a buckle atthe end.